Some cars have a big
impact when launched and then for various reasons drift off into
obscurity, the Vauxhall Carlton Mk1 is just such a car. Launched in
September 1978 ready for the October UK Motor Show the car received
glowing press reports and sales were initially strong with the
Luton plant unable to keep pace with demand, yet to date at the
last count there are fewer than 20 still registered in the UK and
maybe one or two in Europe somewhere! However, if Vauxhall Design
& Engineering Department had been given a free reign things may
not have been quite the same. Planning for a facelift scheduled for
1975 was already underway in April 1974 when GM legend Bob Price
took over as Vauxhall Managing Director. He wanted a car range that
would stretch from the base (1800cc) end of the market right up
into Jaguar territory. Price was constantly irritated by the fact
companies would buy all their fleet cars and Bedford vans &
trucks from Vauxhall but then the head of the outfit would drive a
Jaguar or Mercedes.

No option was off the
table, Price even considered the possibility of importing a
modified, stiffened up and Europeanised version of the soon to be
released 1975 Cadillac Seville in RHD as a top line model. The plan
was dropped because, although small by Detroit standards, the car
was still too chintzy and thirsty for European tastes. An FE
Viscount V8 Show Car had been due to appear at the 1973 London
Motor Show, it was a very luxurious version based around the
Ventora and fitted with a Holden 4.2litre V8, the car was pulled at
the very last minute, along with any production plans, because of
the oil crisis. It did however showcase a radically different
interior and dashboard which Price considered a vast improvement on
the then current FE Victor, VX4/90 and Ventora and gave the go
ahead for an extensive facelift for the FE range to be done as
quickly as possible. The result was the VX Series which turned out
to be far more than a mild makeover and cost £4.5m. The update was
not just cosmetic and included many engineering upgrades as well,
the car was launched in February 1976 as the VX Series and was an
effective stop gap measure until a totally new design replacement
could be offered.

2. DESIGN &
ENGINEERING:

Bob Price was also very good friends with Bob
Jankel at Panther Westwinds who not only made their own cars but
were also specialists in prototype manufacture, in March 1975 Price
gave the go ahead for Wayne Cherry to pen out a stretched version
of the proposed FE VX 2300GLS and for Panther to build it. In the
end two were made – one really only useful as a styling buck with a
slightly different rear window line and the other a fully road
going version which used the Opel 2.5litre CIH carburettor six
cylinder engine from the Commodore B. Cost constraints and also the
likely market competitiveness meant that further development of the
FE was cancelled, the one roadgoing car was used as limousine
transport by Vauxhall Motors for a time picking up VIP guests from
Luton Airport until I owned it for a while! The other option
considered was a hatchback model based on the GM V-4 Platform, this
Concept is detailed in a seperate section of
vauxpedia.

A
second, cheaper project, was started and involved a major revision
to the standard size FE using a droop snoot front end – look
carefully in the picture to the left and you will see the slanted
front end with different wings and also note the different front
and rear bumpers and accented window line. It also used some
suspension components from the Rekord E. However, by now time was
running short and there were doubts that the FE’s overall look
would survive for very long against the upcoming competition from
Ford and BL. The “Vauxhallised” versions of the Kadett C and Ascona
/ Manta B had proven to work as the Chevette and Cavalier so in
March 1976 the plan was now to use the General Motors V car
platform that Opel were developing for the new Rekord E and
suitably modify it for Vauxhall’s own requirements.Wayne
Cherry’s design team reworked the droop snoot for the front end and
slightly modified the rear whilst the interior had a unique
dashboard using Opel instruments and switchgear in a single piece
moulding that made it easy to LHD. Initial plans were for a 4door
Saloon and an Estate using the 1700cc and1900cc
Opel CIH engines and a 2100cc diesel all in three trim levels – L,
GL and GLS following the established Vauxhall trim bands
and
covering what the VX had offered with the exception of the
diesel. Opel were to offer a 2 door saloon version of their
Rekord and one Carlton was built using this body but the market for
large 2 door saloons was tiny in the UK and was dwindling in Europe
as well so as a Carlton it was dropped. A total of five diesel
prototypes were built for evaluation and, unlike the early
mock-ups, required a huge bulge in the bonnet which looked even
sillier than it did on the Rekord and also the diesel market in the
UK was still very small but it appears there was some interference
from Opel at this point. Opel at the time were selling across
Europe and in UK and they wanted to ensure that in terms of price
and equipment the Carlton fitted in-between corresponding Rekord
derivatives so as a result the Carlton was launched with one
engine, the new 100bhp 2 litre CIH, and one trim level – it was
never even given an L or GL badge. Also the very attractive Cherry
designed Carlton coupe version based on the 2 door Rekord never got
beyond the clay mock up stage. A Bedford Carlton van was also
considered based on the Rekord E Van but was canned due to an
insufficient market.

So the Carlton was a 2
model range that replaced the previous 6 model VX Series range, it
was however considerably more modern in external appearance but by
comparison with the VX2300GLS the interior was a backward step. In
the booming 2litre sector of the medium size car market it was
competitive with its main rivals, although it did come in for some
criticism for heavy steering at low speeds but was solved in
October 1980 when power steering became an option for the
1981MY.The majority of Carlton
Mk1s were built at Luton but there were a limited number produced
at Antwerp in Belgium from chassis number
95000001 onwards in
1979. The first major revision was in September 1981 when the
the following changes were introduced: Revised door trim with
carpeted lower panels, dark woodgrain facia with "Carlton" name
badge, deep toned colour-keyed facia, strap for rear seat armrest
(Saloon), black moulding on rear door frame and an additional rear
fog lamp. Additional options included power steering, full
instruments (as in the Royale) with sports steering wheel with
remote control door mirror, tinted glass, central door locking,
overdrive transmission (Saloon), a mono radio/stereo cassette. The
last revision came in September 1981 for the 1982 model year, the
unique Vauxhall dashboard was ditched and the revised Opel Rekord
version replaced it, many previous options became standard such as
tinted glass etc. This lasted until July 1982 when the last Carlton
rolled off the line at Luton. The Mk2 Carlton announced in
September 1982 would be built at Russelsheim in Germany and
ironically as Opel were no longer being sold in the UK virtually
the full range was available.